Ragdoll Sally and The Seven TrickorTreaters
by Gothic Dancer
Summary: It's done! Hear me? FINISHED! Chapter 6, the last chapter, is up!
1. Chapter 1: A Beautiful Girl

Disclaimer: I don't own NMBC. The only people I own are Seritta, Joseph, Suzie, and Jake. The rest of the people belong to Tim Burton.  
  
(Note: In this story, I use my fan characters Seritta, Joseph, Suzie, and Jake, who are supposed to by Sally's children in other stories. For this story, just pretend that they're not related to Sally or each other in any which way. Also, this is just a mix of all the versions of the fairy tale I've heard, so please cut my some slack if I get a part or two wrong, or if something's not quite right.)  
  
~*Chapter 1*~  
  
It was a warm spring morning. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the little princess, Sally, was going to do her chores. Sally was a gorgeous young girl with long red hair and lovely pale skin. She had big, gorgeous eyes and long, think lashes. Many boys admired her, although she did not return their feelings. Many boys just wanted her because she was a princess, and for the fact that she had tons of money. She lived alone with her father, a professor. His name was Dr. Finkelstein. He didn't have the same feelings for his daughter that all the other boys had. Quite the contrary, in fact! He was extremely jealous of his daughter's popularity, something he had always longed for.  
  
Sally walked to the little well outside her home and lowered the bucket down. She began to fill it with water when she heard a playful 'yip' from behind her.  
  
"Zero!" she called. "Come here, boy!" A small white dog with huge black eyes ran up to her. He sat down in front of her and wagged his tail. "Good, boy." Sally said, and she pat the little dog's head. "Do you want to help me with some of my chores?" Zero nodded his head like he understood her and jumped up onto the well. Sally giggled as the dog licked her face and yipped happily.  
  
From inside, Dr. Finkelstein was watching his daughter play with the little dog, and many other animals that came by her side. He gave her a death-stare and wheeled himself in his wheelchair over to an experiment he was working on.  
  
"That daughter of mine." he grumbled. "She's so popular, so perfect! How? How could she be like that, and not me?" He scratched his head and looked towards a magic 8 ball in the corner of his desk. He grabbed it and said, "Magic 8 ball in my room, will that daughter of mine one day find a groom?" The ball bubbled, and said, "Yes, definitely." "No!" Dr. Finkelstein screeched. "Never! I won't allow it! There has to be a way from stopping that future. Hey, wait a minute, if I get rid of my daughter, I can stop that future, AND become the most popular guy in town!"  
  
Sally was still playing outside with the little animals when she heard a call.  
  
"Sally, dear," Dr. Finkelstein called. "Go collect some berries from the forest. Don't come back until nightfall."  
  
"Okay, Papa." Sally agreed. She grabbed her berry basket and skipped into the forest, Zero following her.  
  
While Sally was gone, Dr. Finkelstein was scheming. He called the Mayor of the town. The Mayor nervously walked up to the front door of the little home and reluctantly knocked on the door. Dr. Finkelstein answered.  
  
"Come in." he said darkly. The Mayor followed the professor into the little home.  
  
"So, uh, you needed to talk to me about something?" the Mayor asked, still nervous. Dr. Finkelstein jolted his head to the Mayor.  
  
"Tonight, when everyone is asleep, kill my daughter." Dr. Finkelstein ordered. The Mayor almost fell over in shock.  
  
"That darling daughter of yours? You want her DEAD???" he asked.  
  
"Don't ask questions." Dr. Finkelstein said. "Just do it."  
  
Meanwhile, it was getting dark in the forest. Sally's basket was full, and she was heading home. Zero was slowly following her. She eventually came upon her house. She smiled and skipped inside. She set down the basket of berries and quietly tip-toed into her father's room. Dr. Finkelstein was asleep.  
  
"Awww," Sally cooed. "He's sleeping like a baby." She leaned over and gently kissed her father on the head. "Goodnight, Papa." She walked out of the room and went into her own.  
  
Back in the forest, the Mayor had been following Sally. He walked through the forest and into Sally's house. He gently walked into Sally's room, knife in hand. He slowly walked over to Sally, who was in bed, sleeping. He gripped the knife in hand, and brought it up above his head. He went to plunge it down, but stopped short. He couldn't do it. Sally was such a sweet little girl that the entire little town admired. She was so beautiful, and the nervous Mayor couldn't find it in his heart to destroy such a lovely girl. Instead, he woke her up.  
  
"Sally, Sally," he said. Sally woke up to see an upset Mayor looking in her face.  
  
"Mayor," she began. "What's wrong? You look like someone important to you just died."  
  
"Go!" the Mayor commanded. Sally was shocked.  
  
"What?" she asked, scared.  
  
"Go! Leave!" the Mayor ordered. "Your father wants you dead! You have to get out of here! Leave this town! Run far away!" Sally hopped out of bed, confused and terrified.  
  
"Mayor, I don't understand." She said.  
  
"I don't have the time to explain!" the Mayor said. "You just have to get out of here before your father wakes up!" Sally hesitated for a moment; then burst out of her room and out of her house. She ran through the forest, and everything that seemed so nice and in the day suddenly looked so evil. Sally ran faster, as fast as her slender legs would carry her. She heard noises, and they seemed to come after her. She was so scared, she was trembling and sweat poured down her pale skin. Suddenly, she bumped into a giant tree. She then felt something behind her. She quickly turned around.  
  
"Oh, Zero, it's only you." She observed. Zero whimpered and jumped into her arms. "The Mayor told me that Papa wanted me dead! Oh, what should I do?" Sally turned towards the tree she bumped into to see a marking and knob on it. "The Mayor told me to get as far away from this town as possible." She continued. "Maybe this will take us somewhere." She opened up the door in the tree. Fog and dust wrapped around her and pulled her and Zero in.  
  
~*End of Chapter One*~ 


	2. Chapter 2: The Weirdest Little Town

Disclaimer: See chapter one.  
  
Nobody's reviewing!!! *sniff* You people make me sad. Please review. It makes me happy. If you don't, I'll go off on a sugar hunt, and you won't like what happens if I find that sugar.  
  
~*Chapter 2*~  
  
It was dark. Pitch black. Sally couldn't see anything, and then she remembered that she closed her eyes when she had opened the door in the tree. She cracked her eyes open slightly. It was still dark, but not as bad as it was before. She opened her eyes more. What she saw confused her. She looked to her side to see Zero.  
  
"Zero, since when was the sky red?" she asked. (I haven't seen the movie for, like, forever, so I don't know if it's really red. It's a Kingdom Hearts joke.) She looked back up at the sky; then froze. She slowly looked back at Zero. She screamed, "Zero! You're a ghost!" Now, she was scared. Her little white puppy had turned into a ghost puppy with a glowing orange nose! Sally stood up, but it was hard. Her legs felt unstable, as if they were filled with leaves, and no bones. She took a quick look around where she was. The ground was hard, and the trees were bare, and, in front of her, stood a giant tree house. She carefully walked across a bridge and looked in something that looked like an elevator.  
  
"Yip! Yip!" Zero called.  
  
"It is strange, Zero." Sally said. She walked into the elevator. Zero followed. She closed the door and pulled on a string that brought her and Zero up. When they reached the top floor, Sally opened the door to the elevator and started looking around. "What a strange place." She said. "It looks as if some people live here. I wonder who."  
  
Sally walked into a room that had a little picture of a devil on it. She looked, and saw four little beds right next to each other on the side of the room. "Oh, how cute!" she said. "The names are carved into the beds! Let's see, Lock, Barrel, Joseph, and Jake." Sally giggled to herself. She then walked out of the room and into another one with a little witch on the door. "If that was the boys' room, then this must be the girls' room." She said. Zero followed her as she ventured into this room. She looked at three little beds next to each other. They also had names carved into them. "Hmmm." She began. "Shock, Seritta, and Suzie. Four little boys and three little girls! How adorable!" Sally then yawned. "I must be tired." She said, and she fell asleep on the three little girls' beds.  
  
Meanwhile, it was morning back at Sally's house. The Mayor nervously walked into the little kitchen to see Dr. Finkelstein at the table drinking his morning coffee.  
  
"Uh," he began, "Dr. Finkelstein, sir?" Dr. Finkelstein swung his head around and looked at the Mayor.  
  
"So?" he asked. "Did you do it? Is she gone?" The Mayor shuffled his feet, took a deep breath, and smiled.  
  
"Yes, indeed," he said. "Sally is indeed dead. If it pleases you, no blood was shed, and I got rid of the body for you. I also eliminated all of the evidence so no one can come snooping around in here."  
  
"Well done." Dr. Finkelstein said. "Now, get out of here before I send YOU to the same fate!!!" The Mayor fell backwards and stumbled his way out of the house and back to his own. Dr. Finkelstein smiled wickedly. He set down his coffee and wheeled himself to his magic 8 ball. He shook it, thinking of the question in his head. The ball bubbled, and showed, "Ask again later."  
  
In the strange little town that Sally woke up in, seven little kids were walking along the roads with huge sacks in their hands.  
  
"We got a huge load!" a little boy in a skeleton costume cheered. "We did great this year!"  
  
"Yeah!" a boy in a devil outfit agreed. "And the girls were able to keep up this time!"  
  
"Hey!" a tall skeleton girl exclaimed. "If I recall, Lock, last year, YOU guys were the ones that kept falling behind while the girls and I got all the good candy."  
  
"Oh, shut up, Seritta!" the devil boy ordered. "Let's just go home so that we can start eating all this candy!" All seven kids ran up to their home--the tree house Sally was sleeping in. They all got in the lamp elevator and rode it up. When at the top, they all poured the candy out of their bags creating a huge mountain of candy.  
  
"This is such a big haul," a rag doll boy drooled over the candy. "EVERY TRICK-OR-TREATER FOR HIM OR HERSELF!!!" he screamed, and the seven kids dove into the giant pile eating all of the good sugar that they possibly could.  
  
An hour later, most of the candy was gone, and seven moans from seven little kids could be heard.  
  
"I knew I shouldn't have eaten that tenth sour ball." A rag doll girl whined.  
  
"Tummy hurts!" a little skeleton boy cried. The tall skeleton girl wrapped her long arms around the little skeleton.  
  
"It is late." She said. "Maybe we should all go to bed. If we do, we'll feel better in the morning." The other six kids nodded. They all changed into their night shirts.  
  
"Goodnight." The girls said as a little witch grabbed onto the knob of their room.  
  
"'Night." The boys said. The seven kids went into their rooms. Seconds later, screams came from the girls' room. The boys rushed out of theirs and ran into the girls' room to see what was there. The seven children saw Sally and Zero, sleeping, curled up into little balls on the beds.  
  
"Who are they?" the rag doll girl whispered.  
  
"I don't know." The boy dressed as a skeleton said. He slowly and quietly walked over to Sally and peeked at her face. "She doesn't look bad." He told the other six kids. Everyone gathered around Sally.  
  
"Should we wake her up? The tall skeleton girl asked.  
  
"I think so." The devil boy said.  
  
"I know so!" the witch girl said back, and she gently rubbed her hand on Sally's shoulder. "Miss, excuse me, Miss?" Sally and Zero woke up to see the seven little children watching them.  
  
"Oh my gosh!" Sally began. "Is this your tree house?" The seven kids nodded together. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" Sally explained. "See, I came across your little house here, and it was so adorable, so I took a peek inside, and then I fell asleep, and, oh, I'm terribly sorry for disturbing you. I better go." Sally got up to leave.  
  
"Hold up!" the witch girl said, blocking Sally. "What's your name?"  
  
"Sally."  
  
"Sally, huh?" the rag doll boy asked. "It's a nice name."  
  
"Thank you." Sally said.  
  
"This is our tree house." The devil boy said. "We seven are the best Trick-or-Treaters in all of Halloween Town."  
  
"Oh, is that where I am?" Sally asked.  
  
"Yeah." The tall skeleton girl said. "Allow us to introduce ourselves. I'm Seritta, the oldest, ten-years-old."  
  
"I'm Lock." The devil boy said.  
  
"Shock." The witch girl chimed in.  
  
"Barrel!" the boy dress as a skeleton finished. "All seven-year- olds." (That's a guess, okay?)  
  
"I'm Joseph." The rag doll boy said. "That's Suzie." He said, pointing to the rag doll girl. "We're eight-year-olds."  
  
"Then, me!" the little skeleton boy said. "Jake here! I'm a three- year-old."  
  
"It's very nice to meet you all." Sally said. "This is my dog, Zero." Zero lifted his head and smiled.  
  
"You said you were going to leave?" Shock asked. "Don't! Why don't you stay here and live with us? We have an extra bed!"  
  
"Hey, yeah!" Suzie agreed.  
  
"I guess I could sort be a mother to you seven if that's what you want." Sally offered. The seven little kids smiled and clapped their hands.  
  
"Great that you're going to be living with us as a mom," Jake began, "Because I'm starting to taste those nine chocolate bars I ate again."  
  
~*End of Chapter Two*~ 


	3. Chapter 3: A Deadly Father

Disclaimer: See chapter one.  
  
Yay! I got some reviews! The people that reviewed made me happy. The rest of you make me sad. *sniff* Do I need to warn you guys about the sugar hunt again? 'Cause I promise you, you won't like what happens if I find that sugar.  
  
~*Chapter 3*~  
  
Dawn was breaking. The beams from the jack-o-lantern sun of Halloween Town streamed into Sally's room. They felt warm on her. She had been cold for most of the night due to the fact that the blankets and sheets the seven kids gave her were quite thin. It felt good to be the sunshine again. Sally sat up on her bed and looked out the window at the little town. Halloween Town was a sweet little place, indeed, but she missed her own home. There were only two things in her way that kept her from going home: The seven trick-or-treaters, and the fact that her father wanted her dead.  
  
Sally got out of bed and headed for the tiny kitchen downstairs. Zero, who was sleeping at her side, twitched his ear and looked up.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, Zero." Sally began. "Did I wake you?"  
  
Zero closed his eyes and went back to sleep. Sally smiled and walked into the little kitchen to see Lock and Seritta fighting over something.  
  
"Give it to me, pigtails!" Lock commanded, pulling on the end of a frying pan.  
  
"No way, devil boy!" Seritta snapped. "I'm making breakfast!"  
  
"You and what army of skeletons?" Lock sneered. Seritta got angry and gave the frying pan a forceful tug on the handle. The pan slipped out of Lock's hands as he fell to the floor.  
  
"Ha ha!" Seritta teased. "Only the strong survive!"  
  
"You just wait!" Lock threatened. "One day, I'm going to be a tough guy! You won't stand a chance against me!"  
  
"And why is that?" Seritta asked, putting her bony hands on her hips.  
  
"Because you're a GIRL!!!" Lock cried, and then he burst into a fury of giggles. Seritta was about to attack the devil boy when she felt something tug on one of her pigtails. She turned around to see Sally waving a finger in the air.  
  
"I don't think that was very nice." Sally said. "I think you two 'ought to apologize to each other." Lock stopped giggling as his face turned to a scowl. Seritta secretly gave Lock the death-stare.  
  
"Sorry." She mumbled.  
  
"I'm sorry, too." Lock said under his breath.  
  
"There now, that's better." Sally said. "Now, why don't I make breakfast for you guys? I don't think I like children at a stove anyway."  
  
"Fine." Seritta agreed. "The girls and I like spider eggs and pumpkin toast."  
  
"The boys and I usually only eat cereal." Lock said. "We don't like big and fancy things."  
  
"That's because you boys are cheap dates." Seritta said, sticking her little skeleton nose in the air.  
  
"Guys," Sally warned. "I don't like fights. Now, why don't you guys and the other kids wash up? Breakfast will be ready by the time you guys are done." Seritta and Lock nodded. The two of them ran into their rooms, and all seven kids came out in their day clothes. "Don't forget to wash behind the ears!" Sally called. "Well, those of you that HAVE ears anyway!"  
  
In the bathroom, the seven kids filled up their little tub with water so that there would be room for everyone. (It would be a lot easier than the single sink, don't you agree?) Seritta helped Shock tie back her crazy hair and put a hair band in her hair so that her pigtails wouldn't get in the way. She then tied up Suzie's ponytail into a bun. Joseph put his dirty red hair back in a bandana and assisted Lock in putting his fiery red back in one, too. Lock, Shock, Barrel, Seritta, Joseph, and Suzie grabbed their washcloths. Barrel brought Jake's over for him since Jake had a physical disability in his legs. The seven children dipped their cloths in the warm, soapy water and started scrubbing their faces.  
  
"What do you guys think of Sally so far?" Shock asked in between wipes. "I mean, she's only been here overnight, but, hey! She's been here, so what do you think?"  
  
"I like her." Jake said, scrubbing his cheeks.  
  
"That's just because she cleaned you up after you threw up last night." Suzie pointed out.  
  
"Point taken." Jake agreed.  
  
"I think she's a little annoying." Seritta said.  
  
"Yeah!" Lock agreed. "She made Seritta and me apologize to each other after we fought over the frying pan to make breakfast."  
  
"Oh, that's harsh." Barrel said.  
  
"Not as harsh as this." Lock corrected, and he brought one of his pant legs above his knee to show that he was bleeding.  
  
"Oh my God!" Joseph shouted. "Where'd you get that?"  
  
"I fell forward when Seritta won the tug-of-war contest over the frying pan." Lock explained. "We really need to get those nails sticking out of the wood in our floors fixed."  
  
"Ew, gross!" Shock winced and shuffled away from Lock.  
  
"You should show that to Sally." Barrel suggested. "She'll be able to take care of you."  
  
"No, no, I can handle it." Lock reassured. He dipped his wash cloth into the warm water and gently pat it against his bleeding knee. "Oh, ow. That hurts." He whispered. He continued to pat it, but his knee just bled more.  
  
"That is really gross." Shock observed. "Will you just show it to Sally already? You're not supposed to be this stubborn. You're a Sagittarius under Jupiter for cryin' out loud! Not an Aries under Mars like Joseph and Suzie."  
  
"Shut up." Lock commanded. "If it means that much to you, fine, I'll go tell Sally."  
  
"I think you'd better stay here." Seritta insisted.  
  
"Yeah, I'm done washing my face anyway." Shock said. "I'll go get her. You guys just chill."  
  
Moments later, Shock came back into the bathroom with Sally following her. Sally saw Lock's bleeding knee.  
  
"You poor thing!" Sally cried. She took some tissues and bundled them together in a ball. "Here." She said, handing them to Lock. "Press them against your knee. It'll stop the bleeding." Lock did as he was told. "And as for the rest of you, your breakfast is ready on the counter." Sally continued. Shock picked Jake up and the five of them ran out of the room.  
  
"How did you get to learn so much about taking care of kids?" Lock asked, looking up at Sally. "You're not even a mom! Are you?"  
  
"Well, no." Sally said. "But one day, I would like to marry a nice man and-oh, I'm sorry. This must sound lame to you."  
  
"No," Lock insisted, "Please, continue."  
  
Sally was hesitant, but then she spoke up.  
  
"One day, I'd like to meet the man of my dreams, marry him, and start a big family. That's been my dream ever since I was a little girl." Sally's cheeks flushed light pink. "It's a little bit of an embarrassing dream, don't you think?"  
  
"No," Lock said again. "I've got a similar one. I want to get through Junior High and High School with a lot of girls as friends. Then, I want to go to college and meet a nice girl there. I've never wanted a family though; just my wife and me, and maybe a pet dog or cat." Sally smiled as she took a band-aid out of the little box she found. She put some pain- reliever on it and gently placed it on Lock's knee. "It stings." Lock said. (Has anybody ever had that pain-reliever stuff put on them like that? It hurts worse than the cut or wound itself!)  
  
"It'll go away in a minute." Sally explained. "That's just what happens when it starts to go to work. Pretty soon, you won't feel it."  
  
"What about my other question, huh?" Lock asked. "Where did you come to learn about all this caring for kids stuff?"  
  
"Oh, here and there." Sally answered. "I taught myself actually. See, where I come from, there are a lot of animals and a lot of predators looking for them. Whenever a smaller animal was hurt, I'd always tend to it. The pain-reliever stuff, oh, I never used that on them. That, I learned from the Mayor of my little town. He was such a nice man, but he's the one that told me to leave."  
  
"Why?" Lock asked.  
  
"My father wants me dead." Sally answered. Lock fell back in shock. "Yeah, so the Mayor told me to leave the town. He probably saved my life." Sally then finished helping Lock and she rolled his pant leg back down. "Go get your breakfast now." She said. "I don't want it to get cold." Lock smiled and ran out of the bathroom to join the other six trick-or-treaters.  
  
~*End of Chapter Three*~ 


	4. Chapter 4: Who Did It?

Disclaimer: See chapter one.  
  
More reviews! I'm getting happy, and I haven't found the sugar yet. The rest of you still have time.  
  
~*Chapter 4*~  
  
Sally sat in her little room on her bed. She laid on the pillow of her bed with a little book in hand. Zero slept at her feet at the end of the bed, his little jack-o-lantern nose glowing. Sally sighed. She had changed since she stumbled into Halloween Town with Zero. Her pale skin was now light blue, with black stitches holding her body together. Her long red hair was still there, but it didn't feel as soft as it did back home. Her eyes were large, but somewhat haunting, yet plain. Her outfit had changed, too. Instead of her pretty black and gray dress, she now wore a horribly sewn-together dress made with rags that had been shredded somewhat. These changes made Sally upset, but she knew she was still her. Also, the fact that her father wanted her dead upset her, but she was living with seven trick-or-treaters. She tried to forget about all those other things happening to her.  
  
Cheery music came from outside Sally's door. She heard giggles and footsteps dancing in circles. She walked out of her room and took a peek at where the sounds were coming from.  
  
In the little play room of the tree house, the seven children were dancing with each other to happy music. They were clapping their hands, jumping in the air, and making up silly lyrics to the songs.  
  
"What's going on, guys?" Sally asked. The seven trick-or-treaters turned towards Sally with big smiles on their faces.  
  
"We're dancing!" Suzie announced. "Do you want to join us?"  
  
"Oh, I'm not a very good dancer." Sally said.  
  
"I can't dance at all." Jake said. He was sitting on the floor and pointing to his legs. "You should be thankful you can at all!"  
  
"Yes, yes, Jake." Joseph shut him up. "We all know."  
  
"Come on, Sally!" Seritta begged. "Please?"  
  
"Please, Sally?" Shock chimed in, making her voice sound sweet and innocent.  
  
Sally shuffled her feet as her cheeks turned light pink.  
  
"You shouldn't be embarrassed." Lock said, almost reading her thoughts. "It's fun!"  
  
"Yeah!" Barrel agreed. "I'm a klutz, and I dance and sing anyway!" Barrel began jumping in a circle only to trip on a loose floor board and come crashing down. The room was silent, but then, Barrel lifted his little head and smiled at Sally. "See? I'm okay!" he reassured. "So dance with us!"  
  
The seven kids clasped their hands together and brought them up to Sally's face.  
  
"Oh," Sally began. "Okay."  
  
The seven kids cheered as Seritta turned the music back on. Suzie and Shock began dancing in the middle of a circle made by the other five kids and Sally. They jumped up, and clapped, and then moved their hips next to each other. Sally caught a quick site of Lock almost drooling on the floor over Shock. She giggled to herself and left the devil boy to his thoughts. Sally smiled as the song ended and the two girls bowed to their audience.  
  
"You go next, Sally!" Suzie exclaimed.  
  
"If you guys really want me to," Sally said, giving in. Sally stood in the middle of the circle. A few seconds passed, and then another song came up.  
  
"Dance, Sally!" Jake commanded. "Dance!"  
  
Sally was hesitant, but then she started moving her little feet and arms, getting the beat of the catchy song. The seven kids cheered in delight as Sally started moving her entire body from side to side. The song was short, so it ended soon. Sally stepped out of the circle and looked down at the smiling kids.  
  
"That was great, Sally!" Joseph rewarded. "I thought you said you couldn't dance well!"  
  
"I thought I couldn't." Sally said. "But if you guys liked it,"  
  
"We loved it!" Seritta and Shock said at the same time.  
  
"You've got to dance for us more often!" Barrel exclaimed. "You're so good at it!"  
  
Meanwhile, Dr. Finkelstein was getting a funny feeling.  
  
"Something isn't right." He said. He wheeled himself to his magic 8 ball. He eyed it for a moment, then grabbed it and shook it. "Magic 8 ball," he began. "Is that daughter of mine alive?" The ball bubbled, and showed,  
  
"Yes."  
  
Dr. Finkelstein threw the ball across the room in a rage, leaving a dent in the wall. He was angry.  
  
"That's it!" he screamed. "That good-for-nothing (Kingdom Hearts joke) Mayor didn't kill Sally! He must've gotten her out of here!" He gasped. "That's why no blood was shed! And that's why he said he got rid of the body and evidence! It was so that I would think he really killed Sally! Oh, if you want anything done right, you've got to do it yourself!"  
  
With that, Dr. Finkelstein wheeled himself over to his experiment desk where he took a simple brush, and covered it some sort of glittery powder.  
  
"That should do it." He said. He wheeled himself out of his house and into the woods, following the signs that said that Sally had been there. He eventually came upon the door in the tree.  
  
"She must've gone in there." He said. He opened up the door with the brush in hand, and the dust and fog brought him in.  
  
Back at the tree house, the seven trick-or-treaters were getting ready to go on a candy hunt.  
  
"We usually don't stay out very long on candy hunts like this." Lock explained. "This is just to see if any candy was left over from Halloween. We won't be gone for long."  
  
"We promise." Seritta finished up. She put Jake on her bony shoulders and headed for the door. Joseph and Suzie followed her with a large sack, and Lock, Shock, and Barrel followed them with two.  
  
"Bye, guys." Sally called.  
  
"Bye!" the seven kids said, and they ran off to the streets of Halloween Town. Sally walked to her room and yawned. She was ready to go to sleep when she looked in the mirror. Her hair was a little tangled.  
  
"That must've happened when I was dancing with the kids." She said. She saw little brush that Dr. Finkelstein had secretly slipped in her room while she wasn't looking.  
  
"That looks a lot like my brush back home." She observed. "Ah, it must be Seritta's or Suzie's. I can't imagine Shock owning a hair brush. Well, I'm sure they won't mind." Sally grabbed the brush and stroked it through a part of her hair. The second she did, she collapsed into a deep sleep.  
  
A little while later, the seven trick-or-treaters came back from their candy hunt.  
  
"That stupid mummy and corpse child must've gotten the last of the good candy." Shock announced, her voice filled with annoyance.  
  
"I'll say." Lock agreed. "Since when did we only find two lollipops and a squished chocolate bar on a candy hunt?"  
  
"Maybe Sally will make us something special for dinner." Suzie suggested. "I mean, since this is such a bad haul. Hey, where is Sally anyway?"  
  
The six other trick-or-treaters stopped in realization and exchanged worried looks. Seritta let Jake off her shoulders and cracked the door to Sally's room open. No sooner had she done that, she screamed.  
  
"What is it?" Jake asked.  
  
"Sally!" Seritta screamed. "Oh my God! Guys! I think Sally's dead!"  
  
"What?!" the six other kids screamed together. Barrel picked Jake up as everybody ran into her room to see what Seritta was talking about. Sure enough, there was Sally, on the floor with the brush still in her hair. The seven kids huddled together around her.  
  
"Sally," Joseph whispered, and he gently took the brush out of Sally's hair. Sally's eyes opened half way as the seven trick-or-treaters around her gasped in relief.  
  
"Oh my God, Sally!" Shock shrieked. "You're alive!"  
  
"Barely." Sally said. "I remember coming in here to take a nap, combing my hair, and then, darkness. Oh man, I feel like I've been hit by a truck."  
  
"Someone bad must've plotted this!" Jake announced. "Who could do something so horrible?"  
  
"What if-you know," Suzie hinted. "What if Sally's dad came here?"  
  
"That's not possible!" Seritta argued. "Is it?"  
  
"I'm afraid it's possible, dear." Sally said regretfully. "He could've followed me here when he found out that I wasn't dead. He's sneaky like that. Oh, I can't believe this is my dad, the man that was so nice to me after my mom died. Now, he wants me dead!" Sally lowered her head. "This is not the Papa I know." She finished, and a single tear rolled down her stitched cheek. The seven trick-or-treaters huddled closer together.  
  
"Don't worry, Sally." Jake said. "We'll take care of you."  
  
Lock brought his head up to Sally's ear and whispered, "And I'll see to it that your dream comes true."  
  
~*End of Chapter Four*~ 


	5. Chapter 5: A Battle to Decide

Disclaimer: See chapter one.  
  
I can't find the sugar. *sniff* Maybe it's for my own good.  
  
~*Chapter 5*~  
  
Sally shut her eyes tightly. She listened, but could only hear the bare branches of the trees brushing against her window. She could have sworn she heard something that wasn't of this world, or her home world. She opened her eyes, and tried to see if there was anything strange in her room. The only thing she could see was the faint glow of Zero's nose. She quivered her lips and searched for the light switch. Her hand rubbed against the wall until she found it. When she did, she nervously switched it on. The room brightened and she caught sight of the clock. It read 2:56 in the morning. Sally rubbed her eyes and got up out of her bed. She walked out of her room and into the little kitchen. She turned the light switch on and grabbed a glass from the cabinet. She began filling the glass with water.  
  
It was then she heard footsteps behind her. It scared her so much that she jumped and dropped the glass. It shattered into a hundred pieces.  
  
"Woah, Sally," Lock began. "Calm down. It's just me, Lock. You know, the devil boy of the seven best trick-or-treaters in all of Halloween Town?"  
  
"I know who you are, Lock." Sally explained. "I'm just a little jumpy tonight."  
  
"Why?" Lock asked. "Did you have a nightmare?"  
  
"Sort of," Sally answered. "I kept hearing noises in my room."  
  
"Noises?" Lock asked. "That's odd. Oh well. Do you want me to help you clean up the glass?"  
  
"No, dear," Sally said. "I don't like the idea of you or any of the kids being around broken glass. Besides, you already have a cut on your knee."  
  
"Okay." Lock agreed. He watched as Sally picked up a dust pan out of the closet and knelt to clean the broken glass. His eyes wandered around the room as he put his arms behind his back. He shifted his weight from his toes to his heel and back again. He watched Sally get up and swipe the broken glass into the trash bucket.  
  
"Did you need something?" Sally asked, catching Lock off guard. Lock shook his head and looked up at Sally. "I mean, since you got up at practically three in the morning?"  
  
"No," Lock said. "I just heard you get out of bed and wanted to see if you were okay."  
  
Sally smiled and reached into the cabinet for another glass. She filled it with water and splashed in a few ice cubes. She then slowly walked to the little kitchen table where she sat down and began sipping down her beverage. Lock walked to her and sat in the chair across from her. He lowered his head into his arms that crossed in front of him on the table.  
  
"Sally," Lock began. "Do you think it's really possible that dreams can come true? I've been waiting a long time to meet nice girls."  
  
"How old are you again?" Sally asked.  
  
"I'm seven years old." Lock answered, slightly annoyed that Sally forgot his age.  
  
"Well, you've still got a whole life ahead of you." Sally explained. "It's going to be a few more years before you make it to Junior High. Besides, you've met three nice little girls. What about Seritta, Suzie, and Shock?"  
  
Lock froze, his cheeks turning bright red, almost as red as his hair. His hair flew into his eyes; he didn't even bother to push it back.  
  
"I see." Sally observed. "You've got a little crush on one of them."  
  
Lock narrowed his bright, yellow eyes and crossed his arms at his chest. Sally laughed.  
  
"I won't tell." She said. Lock smiled underneath his ticked off face.  
  
Dr. Finkelstein was secretly watching their conversation.  
  
"Darn it." He whispered. "That stupid brush didn't work. Look's like I'll need stronger science to pull this off."  
  
He took a look down at himself. He hadn't noticed that he had changed ever since he followed Sally into Halloween Town. He looked nothing like he did at home. He smirked. There was an abandoned research lab on the other side of Guillotine Square.  
  
"Maybe there's some old science stuff there I can use." He said. He quietly wheeled himself across Guillotine Square and cracked the door to the Research Lab open. Once he was inside, he slowly wheeled himself up the ramps to the top floor where there was an experimenting room.  
  
"If there's any science stuff in this dump," Dr. Finkelstein began. "It's probably in here." He opened the door and wheeled himself inside.  
  
Dr. Finkelstein spent hours in that experimenting room. He was the one that had found all the good candy after Halloween. (That was why the seven kids didn't find anything good.) He kept testing it all until he came upon a final conclusion. He gave the candy bar a zap, and wrapped it back up in its wrapper.  
  
"Sally," he began. "This will be the last taste you will ever know."  
  
It was morning back at the tree house. The seven trick-or-treaters dressed up in their Halloween costumes and grabbed a few large sacks.  
  
"This is just to double-check if all the candy has been found that was left over from Halloween." Seritta explained. "We won't be long."  
  
"And, hey, we're wearing our Halloween costumes. Maybe we can scare some candy out of the people of Halloween Town!" Barrel added. He picked up Jake and put him on his shoulders.  
  
"Do you want anything?" Joseph asked. "We might go to the candy store if we don't find anything good."  
  
"Oh, that's okay." Sally reassured. "You guys just go out and have fun."  
  
The seven kids smiled up at Sally and ran out of the tree house and across the bridge to Guillotine Square.  
  
A little while later, Sally was getting hungry. Her stomach growled as she looked through the drawers of the kitchen to find something to eat.  
  
"Oh, there's nothing good." She said regretfully. She went to go to her room, but a knock on the door stopped her. She opened the door to see a kind old professor. What she didn't know, was that it was Dr. Finkelstein in disguise.  
  
"Good day, young lady." He said politely.  
  
"Good day to you, Sir." Sally said, smiling down at what she thought was just a nice old man.  
  
"I'm going door-to-door giving away candy left over from Halloween. I have no children of my own, so I'm going to each house seeing if anybody else wants some." The old man explained. "Would you like some of my candy bars?"  
  
"Well, I am a bit hungry." Sally said. "Oh, okay." She reached into the basket the old man had in his hands.  
  
"Might I make a suggestion?" the old man asked, holding up one candy bar in specific. "This one had a bunch of different flavors packed into one."  
  
"Thank you!" Sally exclaimed, taking the candy bar from him. "How much is it?"  
  
"Oh, don't worry about money, dearest." The old man said. "You're such a sweet young girl; you can have it for free!"  
  
"Really?" Sally asked in disbelief. "Oh, thank you!"  
  
The old man smiled and wheeled himself away. When he was sure that he was out of Sally's sight, he smirked to himself and said, "No, thank you, for falling into my most ingenious plan ever!"  
  
Sally unwrapped the candy bar and took a quick look at it. She smiled and bit a piece off. She chewed it and swallowed. She smiled for a moment, and then her expression went dazed. Her entire body became wobbly, and she fell over. It was hard to breathe, and the air around Sally was getting hot and thick. She soon passed out, but, more importantly than that, she had been magically poisoned, and she stopped breathing. Her heart soon stopped pumping, and she laid there, helpless and nearly dead, even for a citizen of Halloween Town.  
  
The seven trick-or-treaters walked into their tree house a little bit later with upset faces.  
  
"I guess all the good candy really WAS taken." Seritta confessed. "I'm sorry I pushed you guys to double-check."  
  
"Oh don't worry ab-Oh my God!!!" Shock screamed. The door to Sally's room was open, and the seven kids saw Sally on the floor. They rushed to her. Joseph pressed his ear against her chest.  
  
"She's not breathing." He announced. "Her heart isn't even beating."  
  
The other six kids gasped as sobs came across their little faces.  
  
"Who could be so cruel as to kill such a sweet woman?" Jake asked, wiping his little bony cheek.  
  
Lock tried to blink back tears. His face was angry, and his eyes almost started flaming as an expression.  
  
"Well, whoever did it," he announced. "We'll punish them! We can't let who it is get away with this! I won't let them!"  
  
Lock ran out of the tree house. Seritta placed Jake on her shoulders and the rest of them followed him into the forest, where they heard a horrible laughing that almost shattered their ears.  
  
(This next part, well, I sort of took the idea from the deleted storyboard that you can see if you have the special edition DVD. If you haven't checked it out and you have the DVD, it's the alternate identity to Oogie Boogie. Okay, enough with my chat. On with the story!)  
  
"You!" Lock screamed, pointing at the laughing man. "You must be the one that killed our beloved Sally! How could you do such a thing??"  
  
Dr. Finkelstein turned towards the seven kids, and smiled a crooked- tooth smile.  
  
"What do you know?" he asked. "That horrible woman was ruining my life! Now, I have what I want. She's dead! You seven should be, too! I'll just take car of that now!"  
  
With that, Dr. Finkelstein stood up without his wheelchair and reached his arms to the sky. A bolt of magic hit him, and he was surrounded by a bright light that transformed him into a giant, misshapen monster. She kids closed their eyes and covered their faces to protect themselves from bright lights. When the lights dimmed, they opened their eyes back up and saw a horrible sack-like creature with a scary face, no hands (Kingdom Hearts joke), and a huge body.  
  
"Just try to stop me now!" it screamed. "I am Oogie Boogie! The Boogie Man!"  
  
The seven kids gasped in fear as Oogie Boogie came walking towards them with a giant pumpkin-like thing in arms.  
  
"If you seven are the greatest trick-or-treaters in all of Halloween Town, and you don't fear anything, let's just see how well you deal with this!" Oogie Boogie shouted and he rolled the giant pumpkin down through the forest.  
  
"That's no ordinary pumpkin, guys!" Joseph announced. "That's a giant pumpkin bomb!" (Kingdom Hearts joke)  
  
The seven kids ran over to the pumpkin bomb and tried with all their might to push it back towards Oogie Boogie. They pushed it with all their strength, and they were able to get it half way back to Oogie Boogie. He realized this and ran towards the bomb. He tried to push it back onto the kids. The seven kids pushed harder on the bomb, but so did Oogie Boogie.  
  
The kids were starting to run out of power. They were getting weak, and their arms were getting tired. Suzie pushed the bomb with her side only to feel something against her. She reached into her skirt pocket, and pulled out something she didn't realize she saved.  
  
"Lock!" she shouted. "Look at this! Remember all those sour balls I had on Halloween? Well, I had saved a few from the pile of candy! You can throw farther than any of us. Throw them at Oogie's feet!  
  
Lock grabbed the sour balls from Suzie and threw them with all his might at Oogie Boogie's feet. Oogie took a step forward, ready to push the bomb onto the kids, only to slip on the sour balls and fall over.  
  
"Everybody!" Lock screamed. "Push the pumpkin bomb on him!"  
  
With all that remained of their strength, the seven trick-or-treaters pushed the giant pumpkin bomb onto Oogie Boogie. The seven kids ran out of the forest as fast as their little legs would carry them. Jake bounced on Seritta's shoulders. Just the second that the seven kids got out of the forest, the pumpkin bomb exploded, leaving bugs and rags everywhere, not to mention a brain of a professor, which was squished to smithereens as a tall tree fell over it from the explosion.  
  
Back at the tree house, the seven trick-or-treaters sat in a circle around Sally. She hadn't woken up since they were gone.  
  
"Hey guys," Barrel began. "Remember all those extra pieces of wood down in the basement we were going to use to replace the loose floorboards?"  
  
The six other kids nodded.  
  
"Let's make a coffin for Sally instead." He said, tears rolling down his chubby cheeks. "That way, we can be near her at all times, and we can say good-bye."  
  
The six trick-or-treaters nodded in agreement.  
  
"Sally," Lock began. "I'm sorry this happened to you. We should have taken better care you. I'm so sorry, but it looks like your dreams won't be coming true, not in this world anyway. I wish you a happy life, wherever you go. Just, don't ever forget us. We'll take care of Zero for you. We promise to keep him safe." Lock gently stroked Sally's hair. "Don't ever forget, wherever you go, we're always with you, and we'll always love you." (Kingdom Hearts joke)  
  
~*End of Chapter Five*~ 


	6. Chapter 6: Happily Ever After

Disclaimer: See chapter one.  
  
It's finally the final chapter! Yay! Oh, and I got a couple people on my reviews asking me the same question over and over again, so I'll answer it now: This is the chapter that Jack appears in. ^_^  
  
~*Chapter 6*~  
  
"That should be good." Seritta said, placing flowers on Sally's side. "Even for someone no longer with us, she's so beautiful, and the forget-me- nots (Kingdom Hearts joke) just add to it."  
  
"Indeed." Suzie agreed, placing a bouquet of the flower in Sally's lifeless hands. "I really wish that we could change this though. You know, maybe go back in time to prevent this from happening, or finding someone who could cure her."  
  
"I wish we could do that," Seritta said, trying to hold back tears. "But Sally's gone now. We have to accept it."  
  
"But I don't want to!" Suzie cried, and she fell into the skeleton girl's long arms and sobbed. "I don't want her to be this way! I want her back!"  
  
"We all do." Seritta tried to calm her down. "Especially Lock. He's more heartbroken than all of us put together."  
  
The little rag doll girl looked up into Seritta's eye sockets.  
  
"Seritta," she began. "I saw her as a mother."  
  
"We all did." Seritta said, stroking the little girl's ponytail. "We all miss her."  
  
Later, the other five trick-or-treaters came outside with flowers in their hands. Lock walked up to Sally and stroked her hair gently.  
  
"Sally," he whispered. "Please, open your eyes. Wake up, please."  
  
"Lock," Shock called quietly. "Don't bother. We can't do anything about this. She's gone."  
  
"I understand what Lock means." Barrel began explaining to Shock. He lightly bounced little Jake on his shoulders. "I guess Sally was just one in a million. I don't think we'll ever be able to find another one like her."  
  
"We shouldn't try." Jake said. "It would just be a waste of time."  
  
"Jake's right." Joseph agreed. "It's all over now."  
  
"I just wish it wasn't, you know?" Lock asked, sorrowfully staring at the rag doll boy. "I wish we could do something." He held his head high up and stared into the endless sky. "I wish that Sally could be alive again."  
  
As if someone was answering Lock's prayer, the seven kids heard a rustle come from the forest.  
  
"Who is it?" Suzie asked.  
  
"It could be that Oogie Boogie guy back for more!" Seritta suggested. "If it is, he's not taking another soul with him!"  
  
"Seritta, calm down." Shock said. "I don't think he'll be bugging us anymore."  
  
"Then who is it?" Seritta asked.  
  
The rustling came closer, and grew louder. Suddenly, a tall figure stepped out of the forest.  
  
"Uh," Shock began, trying to answer Seritta's question. "I have no idea."  
  
"Hey, Seritta, Jake," Joseph began, "He sort of looks like you guys."  
  
"You're right!" Jake agreed. "He must be someone of Halloween Town then."  
  
The figure walked up to the seven kids and looked down at Sally.  
  
"She's beautiful." He said. "What's her name?"  
  
"Sally." Lock answered.  
  
"And you are-?" Barrel asked.  
  
"Oh, my name's Jack." The tall skeleton said. He went straight back to Sally. "She has such a pretty name, a perfect fit for her." He gently stroked her face. "What's going on?"  
  
The seven trick-or-treaters lowered their little heads without a word.  
  
"Oh no," Jack began. "Please! Please tell me that she's sleeping!"  
  
"We want to believe that," Joseph began answering. "But we can't. I'm sorry, but Sally is dead."  
  
Jack stopped and scratched his skull.  
  
"How?" he asked.  
  
The seven kids looked up at him with surprised and curious looks. Jack tried to be logical in his explanation.  
  
"Halloween Town is an afterlife world." He said. "So, how could someone in his or her afterlife be dead in this world?"  
  
For that instant, the world was silent, and the seven kids widened their eyes in realization.  
  
"Then, it's possible," Suzie began. "Could it really be possible that Sally isn't dead?!"  
  
The little rag doll girl ran over to Sally and pressed her ear against her chest.  
  
"I don't get it." She said. "If Sally could still be alive, why the heck isn't her heart beating??? She's not even breathing for cryin' out loud!!!"  
  
Jack scratched his skull again.  
  
"I don't know what to tell you." He said. He leaned over Sally and brought his face close to hers. "Sally, I guess this is good-bye, even if we never got the chance to say hello."  
  
With that, Jack leaned in closer and gently kissed Sally's red lips. The seven children watched with sad faces, knowing that Sally couldn't return Jack's present.  
  
When Jack pulled his face away, something amazing happened! Sally's fingers started to twitch, and her eyes cracked open! Jack and the seven kids watched in awe as Sally's eyes opened up wider until they were completely open. She looked up to see Jack watching her, then to her side to see her seven best friends.  
  
"Sally!" the seven kids screamed, and they ran up to Sally and shared hugs.  
  
"Sally, I can't believe it!" Lock said, overjoyed. "How did it happen?"  
  
"Lock," Sally whispered, and she kissed the little devil boy on the head.  
  
"Sally," Lock began. He pointed to Jack. "He saved you."  
  
Sally turned and looked at Jack. Her cheeks flushed light pink as Jack slowly took her hand in his.  
  
"You were so beautiful," Jack said, stroking her little fingers. "I couldn't leave you without a kiss."  
  
"But you don't have to leave now." Sally pointed out. She smiled and slowly went to stand up. Before she could, Jack grabbed her legs and body and picked her up in his arms. Sally gasped in disbelief as Jack kissed her hair.  
  
"My name is Jack Skellington." He said. The seven trick-or-treaters gasped.  
  
"I can't believe it!" Barrel exclaimed. "You're the Pumpkin King!"  
  
"That I am." Jack said. He looked at Sally sweetly. "And I'd be honored if you came to live with me, as my queen."  
  
Sally didn't know what to say. She knew the answer in her head, but she couldn't say it. It didn't matter. Jack read her mind and kissed her red lips.  
  
Later, Sally was getting ready to leave. She said her good-byes to the kids.  
  
"I'll come visit you guys." She said. The seven kids smiled up at her.  
  
"Can we come visit you?" Jake asked.  
  
"You guys can come visit us whenever you want." Jack invited. The seven kids cheered and smiled up at the two of them.  
  
"It looks like your dreams will be coming true, Sally." Lock said. "I'll be working towards mine. One day, I'll come back to you as a Junior High student, then a High School student, and on and on."  
  
"I look forward to the day when I see you like that." Sally said, and she hugged the seven kids. Jack then wrapped his long arm around her.  
  
"We better be going." He said. "Come visit us at the Skellington Manor." With that, Jack and Sally turned, and began walking towards their home. The seven kids blinked back tears. They went inside, but Lock stayed.  
  
"Are you coming, Lock?" Shock asked.  
  
"Not yet." Lock said in return. Shock joined him at his side.  
  
"Don't worry." She said. "She won't forget about you."  
  
"I know." Lock confessed. "It's just, saying good-bye is sometimes hard."  
  
"I know." Shock agreed. "But we can see her anytime."  
  
The two of them watched until Jack and Sally were out of sight.  
  
"When you walk away, you don't hear me say," Lock began. Shock turned towards him.  
  
"Please, oh baby, don't go. Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight." She added. "It's hard to let it go." (Kingdom Hearts joke)  
  
Lock wrapped his arms around Shock, and pressed his lips against hers. All was as it should be, and Jack and Sally, and Lock and Shock, lived happily ever after.  
  
~*The End*~ 


End file.
